I’m Spartacus

This was the final declaration which became the battle cry of the brave against tyranny despite facing impending death.

Wiki excerpts on celluloid replications of “the climactic scene in which recaptured slaves are asked to identify Spartacus in exchange for leniency, and instead proclaim themselves to be Spartacus and thus share his fate, has been widely referenced and parodied in a range of different media” –

The 1964 Soviet-Cuban film I Am Cuba has a scene in which three captured Cuban guerrillas claim one after another “I am Fidel!”.

The 1979 film The Life of Brian reverses the scene by depicting an entire group undergoing crucifixion all claiming to be Brian who it has just been announced is eligible for release (“I’m Brian” “No I’m Brian” “I’m Brian and so’s my wife.”)

The 1996 film That Thing You Do! has a recurring line in which the character Guy Patterson refers to himself as Spartacus.

The 1997 film In & Out has a scene in which a number of students stand up and claim to be gay in support of their teacher.

The 1998 film The Mask of Zorro has a scene in which the prison guards, directed by the antagonist Don Rafael Montero, demand that Zorro reveal himself. Diego De La Vega (the original Zorro) stays silent as many of the prisoners proclaim themselves to be Zorro, to the point of arguing and fighting amongst themselves.

In 2001, the Nickelodeon t.v. show Fairly Odd Parents, had an episode which climaxed when all the parents searched for a kid who offended them named Double T, and a group of kids subsequently shouted, “I’m Double T!”

The 2005 film Colour Me Kubrick, inspired by the impersonation in real-life of Spartacus director Stanley Kubrick, pays reference to the ‘Spartacus moment’ with con-man Alan Conway finally frustrated in his impersonation by fellow inmates of a mental asylum all declaring “I’m Stanley Kubrick”.

In 2005, Pepsi aired a commercial where a Roman general announced that a package (a 12oz can of Pepsi) had arrived for Spartacus, and asked if he was there to claim it. Using the original footage from the Kubrick film, everyone immediately claimed to be Spartacus in an attempt to get the beverage for himself, resulting in the general drinking it himself. The commercial contains licensed footage from the original film.

During the Monk episode “Mr. Monk Meets The Red-Headed Stranger” when the police ask who is Willie Nelson (after accusing him of murder), everyone in the room replies, “I’m Willie Nelson!”

The 2008 Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps from Rockford, IL, won their 2nd World Championship with a program based on Spartacus (although not a literal retelling of the ballet, as in their 1981 and 1982 programs). Near the end of the show, one of the drum majors shouts “I…am Spartacus,” and in addition to the color guard and other members of the corps echoing it, members of the audience also joined in.

In the 7th episode, “Great and Unfortunate Things,” of the TV series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, the final scene includes the title character, played by Andy Whitfield, shouting “I am Spartacus!” to the crowd at the gladitorial arena at Capua after defeating six men dressed as his countrymen as a way of declaring his acceptance of his new life as a Roman gladiator.

Now if only Muhyiddin had said “I am Ibrahim Ali“, Malaysians wouldn’t disagree with him.